Bedford Bleeds While Albany Waits

Brooklyn’s Democratic machine targets the Bedford Avenue protected bike lane. Power brokers demand removal. Cyclists and walkers lose ground. The mayor’s allies press for cars. Streets grow harsher. Vulnerable road users face rising danger.

On May 28, 2025, the New York City Council debated the future of the Bedford Avenue protected bike lane. No bill number or committee was cited. The matter: 'The Bedford Avenue protected bike lane is facing opposition from key figures in the Brooklyn Democratic machine.' Council Members Lincoln Restler and Chi Oss support the lane. Former Adams chief of staff Frank Carone and Brooklyn party chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn lead the opposition. Mayor Eric Adams calls for listening to bike lane critics. Challenger Sabrina Gates wants the lane rerouted. DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez defends the lane’s safety record. A safety analyst warns: 'Threats to protected bike lanes undermine safe infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, potentially reducing mode shift and safety in numbers while increasing risk for vulnerable road users.' The fight is not just political. It is life and death for those outside a car.

• Democratic Party Machine Joins the Bikelash on Bedford Avenue, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2025-05-28

A school bus tore through a fence in Ditmas Park. An eight-year-old boy and his mother took the brunt. Broken arm. Head and neck wounds. The bus mounted the sidewalk, iron twisted, cinderblock shattered. The driver stayed. The street stayed dangerous.

CBS New York reported on April 9, 2025, that a school bus crashed into a fence at Bedford Avenue and Farragut Road in Brooklyn, injuring an 8-year-old boy and his 43-year-old mother. The article quotes Councilmember Farrah Louis: "It appeared the driver was driving and hit the gas instead of the brakes, trying to avoid another car, and that's how he crashed." No students were on the bus at the time. The victims were hospitalized with serious injuries. Witnesses described the bus waiting for a pedestrian before suddenly jumping the curb and smashing through the fence. The incident highlights ongoing traffic dangers in the area and raises questions about driver error and the need for improved street safety.

• School Bus Slams Fence In Brooklyn, CBS New York, Published 2025-04-09

A southbound SUV plows into a 16-year-old boy on Nostrand Avenue. The bumper smashes his face. Blood pours onto the street. He is conscious, cut deep, stunned by the blow. Driver inattention marks the scene.

A 16-year-old pedestrian suffered severe facial lacerations after being struck by a southbound SUV on Nostrand Avenue near Avenue M in Brooklyn, according to the police report. The collision occurred at 18:06, when the teen stepped into the roadway outside a crosswalk or signal. The report states, 'A southbound SUV hits him head-on. The bumper strikes his face. He falls. Blood spills. He is awake, bleeding, cut deep.' Police cite 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as a contributing factor, underscoring the driver’s failure to notice or respond to the pedestrian in time. The report also lists 'Pedestrian/Bicyclist/Other Pedestrian Error/Confusion' as a secondary factor, but the primary cause remains the driver’s lack of attention. The impact left the teen conscious but badly injured, highlighting the persistent threat posed by inattentive driving on city streets.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4787726, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

A sedan turned left on Ocean Avenue. An e-scooter carried a 10-year-old boy straight through. Metal struck metal. The boy was thrown, his leg crushed. He wore a helmet. He stayed conscious. The street swallowed his scream.

According to the police report, a sedan making a left turn on Ocean Avenue near Avenue J collided with an e-scooter traveling straight. The impact threw a 10-year-old boy from the scooter, resulting in severe crush injuries to his lower leg. The report lists 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' and 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' as contributing factors. The sedan’s driver, licensed in New York, struck the scooter with the vehicle’s left front bumper while turning. The boy, riding outside and wearing a helmet, remained conscious after the crash. The police report does not cite any victim behavior as a contributing factor. The collision underscores the lethal consequences of driver inattention and failure to yield to vulnerable road users.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4785665, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

A Dodge sedan struck from behind on Cortelyou Road. Rear passenger, thirty-one, sliced at the neck. Two sedans mangled, one parked car crushed. Blood on the seat, silence on the street. Distraction behind the wheel left violence in its wake.

A violent rear-end collision unfolded on Cortelyou Road near East 31st Street in Brooklyn, according to the police report. A Dodge sedan was struck from behind, leaving its left rear passenger, a 31-year-old man, with severe neck lacerations. The report states, 'A Dodge sedan struck from behind. Rear passenger, 31, gashed at the neck. Two sedans wrecked. One parked car crushed. Distraction behind the wheel.' The primary contributing factor cited is 'Driver Inattention/Distraction.' The impact also damaged a parked sedan. The police report makes no mention of passenger actions as contributing factors. The crash underscores the consequences of driver distraction, with blood and silence marking the aftermath.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4782167, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

A RAM SUV struck a 23-year-old e-bike rider on Avenue J. The rider, thrown and bleeding from the head, lay unconscious in the street. The SUV’s right side bore the mark of impact. Failure to yield shattered the morning calm.

A violent collision unfolded on Avenue J near East 28th Street in Brooklyn when a RAM SUV struck an eastbound e-bike, according to the police report. The 23-year-old e-bike rider was ejected and landed on the pavement, unconscious and bleeding from the head. The police report states the SUV’s right side bore the wound of the crash. The primary contributing factor cited is 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way.' The report also notes 'Unsafe Speed' as a factor. The e-bike rider was unlicensed and wore no protective equipment, but these details are mentioned only after the driver’s errors. The crash left the cyclist with severe head injuries, underscoring the lethal consequences when drivers fail to yield to vulnerable road users.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4779922, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

A corruption probe toppled Ingrid Lewis-Martin, City Hall’s top aide and a key road safety foe. Her resistance stalled the McGuinness Blvd. redesign, leaving pedestrians and cyclists at risk. Only after investigators seized phones did the city revive its safety plan.

This story centers on the McGuinness Boulevard safety redesign, a project to protect pedestrians and cyclists on a deadly Brooklyn street. No council bill number applies, but the saga unfolded across 2023 and 2024, with City Hall’s powerful aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin at the center. The matter: 'What role did a single bike lane play in Ingrid Lewis-Martin's undoing?' Lewis-Martin, Mayor Adams’s closest advisor, fought the road diet and bike lane, siding with Broadway Stages and its CEO Gina Argento, who opposed the plan. Under their pressure, Adams abandoned the Department of Transportation’s safety design. After both women’s phones were seized in a corruption probe, City Hall reversed course and advanced the safety project. The episode exposes how political interference delayed life-saving street changes, leaving vulnerable road users exposed to ongoing danger.

• The Lewis-Martin Probe and McGuinness Blvd.: What We Know, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2024-12-17

Power and money stalled safety on McGuinness Boulevard. A teacher died. Eleven pedestrians and three cyclists killed since 1995. City Hall caved to donors. Bike lanes and road diets delayed. Vulnerable road users paid the price. The fight continues.

This controversy centers on the McGuinness Boulevard safety redesign, with Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (District 42) mentioned at a pivotal June 15, 2023, town hall. The saga unfolded as City Hall, under pressure from Broadway Stages and its donors, repeatedly stalled or watered down the Department of Transportation’s plan to calm the deadly Brooklyn roadway. The matter’s summary: 'Under pressure from Broadway Stages, Mayor Adams abandoned his own Department of Transportation's plan to calm the notoriously dangerous Brooklyn roadway.' Despite neighborhood support and a history of fatal crashes, City Hall intervened, delaying life-saving changes. Bichotte Hermelyn appeared alongside DOT Commissioner Rodriguez at a meeting dominated by project opponents. The watered-down redesign, installed north of Calyer Street, did 'nothing' for pedestrian safety, according to local officials. The pattern: political influence trumped safety, leaving vulnerable road users at risk.

• The Lewis-Martin Probe and McGuinness Blvd.: What We Know, streetsblog.org, Published 2024-12-17

A van veered down Flatbush Avenue, its driver asleep. Four parked sedans took the blow. Steel twisted. Glass scattered. The driver woke to crushed legs and silence. Engines cooled. The street held its breath.

A van traveling south on Flatbush Avenue near Albemarle Road struck four parked sedans after the driver fell asleep, according to the police report. The report states that the van's driver, a 31-year-old man, suffered crush injuries to his legs. The narrative describes, 'A van veered south, driver asleep. It struck four parked sedans. Steel folded. Glass scattered. The 31-year-old man woke to crushed legs and silence.' The police report lists 'Fell Asleep' as the contributing factor in the crash. No other contributing factors are cited for the victims or parked vehicles. The collision underscores the systemic danger posed when drivers lose control of their vehicles, even for a moment. The impact left parked cars damaged and one person seriously injured.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4771775, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

A sedan cut left on Flatbush. A moped pressed straight. Metal struck flesh. The rider, 26, took the hit. His leg split open. Blood pooled. He stayed conscious. Pain roared. The street bore witness.

According to the police report, a sedan making a left turn at Flatbush Avenue and Avenue H collided with a moped traveling straight. The moped rider, a 26-year-old man, suffered severe lacerations to his leg and remained conscious at the scene. The report lists 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' and 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as contributing factors. The sedan's right front bumper struck the moped's front end. The narrative states, 'Metal struck flesh. The rider, 26, hit hard. His leg gashed open. Blood pooled on the street.' No evidence in the report suggests any action by the moped rider contributed to the crash. The focus remains on the sedan driver's failure to yield and inattention, which led to the violent impact.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4756217, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

An SUV swung wide on Avenue K, carving a path into a cyclist’s flesh. Blood pooled. The man stayed conscious, pain roaring through his split arm. The driver’s turn, sudden and improper, left steel and bone tangled in Brooklyn’s morning.

A 47-year-old man riding east on Avenue K near East 24th Street was struck by an SUV making a U-turn, according to the police report. The cyclist suffered severe lacerations to his arm but remained conscious as blood pooled on the pavement. The police report identifies 'Turning Improperly' as the sole contributing factor, with the SUV driver executing a U-turn into the cyclist’s path. The cyclist was traveling straight ahead at the time of impact. The report notes the cyclist was not wearing a helmet, but this is not listed as a contributing factor. The collision underscores the lethal consequences of driver error—here, an improper turn—on Brooklyn’s streets.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4745220, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

Steel tore at Flatbush and Church. A truck turned left, a sedan turned right. Metal crumpled. A woman and a man trapped inside, necks twisted, pain sharp. The view was blocked. Both survived, but the wounds lingered.

At the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Church Avenue in Brooklyn, a collision between a truck and a sedan left two people injured, according to the police report. The crash occurred late in the morning as the truck was making a left turn and the sedan was making a right turn. The report states, 'Steel tore. A woman, 25, and a man, 41, crushed inside. Necks twisted. Conscious. Hurt.' Both vehicles suffered significant damage, with the trailer of the truck struck and the sedan's front crumpled. The police report cites 'Passing or Lane Usage Improper' and 'View Obstructed/Limited' as contributing factors, with driver inattention and distraction also noted. The report emphasizes that the drivers' improper lane usage and limited visibility directly contributed to the crash. No mention is made of any actions by the injured occupants that contributed to the collision.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4729718, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

A sedan turned left on New York Avenue and struck a 74-year-old woman crossing with the signal. She died in the crosswalk, the impact sudden and final. The driver failed to yield. The street kept moving.

According to the police report, a 74-year-old woman was crossing New York Avenue at Avenue D, in Brooklyn, when a sedan making a left turn struck her head-on. The report states she was 'crossing with the light' and was in the crosswalk at the time of impact. The collision resulted in fatal injuries to the pedestrian, who died at the scene. The police report explicitly cites 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' as the contributing factor on the part of the sedan driver. The vehicle's point of impact was the center front end, matching the narrative of a direct, forceful collision. The victim's behavior—crossing with the signal—is noted in the report, but the primary cause remains the driver's failure to yield. The crash underscores the lethal consequences when drivers disregard pedestrian right-of-way at intersections.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4717810, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

A moped slammed into a slowing sedan on New York Avenue. The rider, helmeted, struck hard and bled from the head, half-flung from his seat. Darkness pressed in. He stayed conscious. The street bore witness to metal, blood, and error.

According to the police report, a moped traveling south near 1084 New York Avenue in Brooklyn collided with the rear end of a sedan that was slowing or stopping. The moped rider, age 48, was partially ejected and suffered a severe head injury with significant bleeding, but remained conscious at the scene. The report lists 'Following Too Closely' as the contributing factor for the crash. The moped struck the center back end of the sedan, which had three occupants. The narrative notes the rider wore a helmet. The police report does not cite any victim behavior as a contributing factor. The crash underscores the danger when drivers fail to maintain safe distance, especially at night.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4715908, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

A tow truck rolled down Clarendon Road. Its right front bumper tore into a woman’s leg. Blood spilled. Lane markings failed. The truck did not stop. The woman, 59, stood in the street, far from any crosswalk.

According to the police report, a tow truck traveling east on Clarendon Road struck a 59-year-old woman with its right front bumper, causing severe lacerations to her lower leg. The report states the woman was standing in the roadway, not at an intersection or crosswalk, when the collision occurred. The police cite 'Lane Marking Improper/Inadequate' as a contributing factor, highlighting the systemic failure of street design. The report also lists 'Aggressive Driving/Road Rage' as a driver error. The narrative notes the tow truck did not stop after the impact. The woman was conscious but bleeding heavily from deep cuts. The crash underscores the danger posed by inadequate lane markings and aggressive driving, as documented in the official report.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4711991, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

A dump truck turned right on Bedford and Tilden. The woman crossed with the light. The front of the truck crushed her. She died in the street. The truck did not stop. Metal untouched. She was 58. The city kept moving.

A 58-year-old woman was killed at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Tilden Avenue in Brooklyn when a dump truck making a right turn struck her as she crossed with the signal. According to the police report, the truck's front right quarter panel crushed the pedestrian, causing fatal injuries to her entire body. The report lists 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' and 'Oversized Vehicle' as contributing factors. The woman was crossing with the light at the intersection, as documented in the report. The truck did not stop after the collision. The vehicle, a 2014 KW-TRUCK/BUS registered in New Jersey, sustained no damage. The report centers on the truck driver's failure to yield and the dangers posed by oversized vehicles at city intersections.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4707890, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

A Ford pickup struck a moped on Caton Avenue. Three rode the moped. A woman, 27, lay unbelted in back. Her leg was crushed. The truck showed no damage. The night was still. Danger moved fast.

A Ford pickup truck hit a moped carrying three people near Caton Avenue and Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn. According to the police report, 'A Ford pickup struck a moped carrying three. A woman, 27, lay unbelted in back. No helmet. Her leg crushed beneath her.' The woman, riding as a passenger, suffered crush injuries to her knee and lower leg. Police listed 'View Obstructed/Limited' and 'Passing or Lane Usage Improper' as contributing factors. The moped’s rear passenger had no safety equipment. The pickup showed no damage. The crash left one vulnerable road user with severe injuries, underscoring the risks faced by those outside steel and glass.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4688054, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

A cyclist slammed into a parked SUV on Ocean Avenue. The bike folded. Inside the Toyota, a 58-year-old man sat dead, seatbelt on. The street fell silent. No driver errors listed. The crash left one man lifeless, the city unchanged.

A crash occurred near 1362 Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn. A cyclist collided with the right side of a parked SUV. According to the police report, 'A cyclist hit the right side of a parked SUV. The bike crumpled. Inside the Toyota, a 58-year-old man sat still, strapped in his seatbelt. He was dead.' The driver of the SUV, a 58-year-old man, was found dead at the scene. The report does not list any contributing driver errors or factors. No helmet use or signaling is mentioned as a factor. The impact left the cyclist's bike destroyed and the driver lifeless inside his vehicle.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4653596, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14

Mothers starve for Sammy’s Law. Hochul offers sympathy, not action. Heastie keeps the bill off the floor. The law would let New York City lower speed limits. Assembly support grows. Vulnerable road users wait. Streets stay deadly. Lawmakers stall. Lives hang in the balance.

Sammy’s Law, stalled in the New York State Assembly, would let New York City set speed limits below 25 mph. On June 7, 2023, Governor Hochul expressed sympathy for hunger-striking mothers but refused to pressure Speaker Carl Heastie, who blocks the bill from a vote. The bill passed the Senate and has City Council and mayoral support. The matter summary: 'Hochul has previously expressed support for Sammy's Law, which would allow New York City to set its speed limits below 25 miles per hour.' Amy Cohen, a mother and advocate, demanded action, showing Heastie photos of victims. Seven new Assembly members, including Yudelka Tapia, Al Taylor, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, and Brian Cunningham, now back the bill, giving it majority support among NYC Assembly members. Still, the Speaker’s inaction leaves vulnerable road users exposed to speeding drivers and systemic danger.

• Hunger Strike Day 2: Gov. Hochul is ‘Sympathetic,’ But Won’t Pressure Heastie on Sammy’s Law, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2023-06-07

A bus hit a cyclist on Cortelyou Road. The rider flew, face-first, into the street. Blood pooled. His breath came ragged. Driver inattention and following too closely marked the crash. The cyclist, 27, suffered severe facial bleeding. No helmet listed.

A bus traveling west on Cortelyou Road near East 17th Street in Brooklyn struck a cyclist. The impact threw the 27-year-old rider to the pavement, causing severe facial bleeding and leaving him incoherent. According to the police report, 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' and 'Following Too Closely' contributed to the crash. The cyclist was ejected from his bike and was not wearing a helmet, as noted in the report. No injuries were reported among vehicle occupants. The crash highlights the danger faced by cyclists when large vehicles fail to pay attention or keep safe distance. The police report makes no mention of any error by the cyclist.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4623119, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14